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NBR agrees to work with CC to cut graft

Julfikar Ali Manik
Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) and National Board of Revenue (NBR) will work out a strategy for working together to root out corruption.
ACC in a close-door meeting with NBR yesterday proposed reducing the number of stages in export and import as the existing lengthy process creates larger scope for corruption, said a meeting source. The anti-graft watchdog asked NBR to work with it to contain the trend.
Since the formation of ACC in last November, yesterday's meeting was the first with
NBR when allegations of corrup-
tion against different units of NBR are rife.
ACC Commissioner Prof Maniruzzaman Mian was accompanied by a number of ACC officials in the meeting held at NBR headquarters. NBR Chairman Khairuzzaman Chowdhury led the NBR team comprising some high officials of VAT, income tax, and customs.
ACC sources said the ACC commissioner went to the NBR to present his views on corruption in general in the country and particularly within the organs of the NBR and how it affects the people.
But as the talks began, the NBR officials started to describe in detail how the NBR functions, much to the
dismay of ACC, which wanted to have an open-minded discussion on pervasive corruption in NBR, said an ACC source.
ACC wanted to discuss the issue of 'speed money', a kind of bribe needed to move the files quickly across different tables in different organs of NBR, could be raised, the ACC could initiate an open discussion about corruption pervasive in the NBR, added the source.
Some discussion however was held at the end of the meeting regarding the ways and means of preventing corruption, at least to bring it down to a reasonable level.
ACC proposed for a joint study by
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NBR and ACC to find out the number of tables a file has to go through and slash the number. It also proposed examining the laws governing income tax, VAT and customs with an aim to simply them where they are complex.
NBR Chairman in principle agreed to the ACC proposals. He said that six NBR officials have already been to ACC and the commission can take their help in carrying out the programme.
Mian told reporters after the meeting that NBR has claimed to have already brought down the number of stages in export-import. In response to the claim, he said he has proposed finding out ways to minimise the hassle exporters and importers still have to face.
Citing example of Singapore where papers relating to unloading of a ship are processed in just 20 minutes, he urged the NBR to think of speeding up the procedure.
After the meeting, Mian said one must admit the existence of corruption, and the way it is spreading must be contained for greater interest of the nation.
Meeting sources said NBR officials were reluctant to admit corruption within in the NBR organs, but some of the NBR officials said that computerisation can reduce the corruption in some cases.
Khairuzzaman told the press that they have explained to the ACC about the functions of NBR and also discussed about the scope of irregularities in the organisation.
He said it is not possible to get rid of the trend of irregularities overnight. But discussion about devising a joint strategy to combat corruption will continue.